It’s fair to say it’s been quite a year for Olivia Dunne.
Today, the LSU gymnastics superstar turns 21, but unlike virtually all of her college friends, she’ll do so with an estimated net worth of $2.3 million — according to Marca – and it’s all her own fault.
Over the past two years, Dunne has become a social media sensation by posting beautiful photos on Instagram and lip-syncing videos on TikTok, which has helped her rake in millions from name, image and likeness deals.
The New Jersey native, who has more than 12 million followers across the two platforms combined, is also a very talented gymnast after taking up the sport at the age of three.
Late last year, she became one of several female athletes to join the ranks of millionaires through NIL deals, along with Olympic bronze medalist Sunisa Lee and basketball sisters Haley and Hanna Cavinder.
LSU gymnastics superstar Olivia Dunne will celebrate her 21st birthday on Oct. 1
The New Jersey native has more than 12 million followers on both TikTok and Instagram
Dunne recently debuted her relationship with MLB and former LSU star Paul Skenes
After college athletes were allowed to make such deals last year, there has been an upward trend of female stars showing candid and flirty posts to gain millions of followers on social media, fueling endorsement deals.
Dunne’s great wealth comes from this rise as an influencer, where she posts sponsored advertisements on her social media pages, awash with photos of the gymnast showing off her body.
She started publicizing her lavish life as an NCAA gymnast, amassing more than 3.8 million Instagram followers and 3.5 million more on TikTok. As a result, her NIL valuation shot up to a staggering $3.5 million in April this year.
Her social media activities were initially not allowed to make a profit due to the NCAA’s strict policy on the sale of sponsorships by its members, but that all changed in June 2021 when the organization changed its rules to allow athletes to make money from NIL deals.
Within a month, Dunne signed a deal with Endeavor Talent Agency’s WME Sports and agreed to a partnership with activewear brand Vuori – which Forbes reported last year was worth “mid-six figures.” She also joined American Eagle Outfitters.
Incredibly, she became so famous on her Louisiana campus that the LSU gymnastics team had to be escorted to and from competitions by a bodyguard last season.
As his follower count continued to rise, so did the number of opportunities for Dunne, who has also starred in two ESPN commercials in the past eight months.
The highlight of those opportunities, however, came in June, when she graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in a glamorous photo shoot.
The gymnast graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in a glamorous photo shoot
She started publicizing her lavish life as an NCAA gymnast, causing her NIL value to skyrocket
Dunne was rewarded for her remarkable social media success with a cover shoot for SI Swimsuit in Puerto Rico in January.
After sharing behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot, the post racked up more than a quarter of a million likes in just one day, showing her incredible reach. She was also on the cover again this month with fellow LSU star Angel Reese.
Despite the enormous luxuries that fame can bring, Dunne has spoken candidly on social media about the difficulties that come with it.
‘People are always commenting on things they would never say to your face, so part of it is that you’ve developed a tough skin. Social media is hard,” she told SI Swimsuit.
‘I think it’s important to stand up for yourself. Maybe it’s the Jersey girl in me, but I think girls need to know that it’s (not) okay (for people to say that), especially (because I) post things that any other college girl would post.
“(Or I wear) a leotard – the required uniform to be a gymnast. It is ridiculous.
“There are always people who want to downplay your success and say it’s all about the way you look, or that it’s just luck.”
The hysteria surrounding her online is so great that it’s easy to forget that Dunne is also extremely skilled when it comes to gymnastics.
As her follower count continued to rise, she was invited to events such as the ESPYs
Dunne has spoken candidly on social media about the difficulties involved
The Westwood native, who specializes in uneven bars, earned All-American honors her freshman year and also averaged a 9.850 at last year’s SEC Championships.
But as if her online fame and talent on the mat weren’t enough, Dunne added another dimension last month by dating Pirates baseball star Paul Skenes.
Skenes and Dunne were classmates at LSU, with the Tigers’ gymnastics star first hinting at a romance between the pair in June.
In a social media post that now appears to refer to Skenes, Dunne wrote: “Can we FaceTime?”
“If he really wanted to talk in person, he would teleport,” she added.
It was during this time that Skenes and the LSU Tigers baseball team were in Omaha, Nebraska on their way to a College World Series title.
Rumors have swirled around the couple since she pictured herself wearing a Pirates hat after the team drafted him first overall in the MLB Draft last month. Skenes arrived at the club’s facility in Bradenton in the days after signing his rookie contract with the Pirates on July 18.
On August 18, Skenes finally spoke out and confirmed that the couple is an item.
Speaking to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he opened up about their relationship, saying, “It’s definitely fun. It can be tricky sometimes, to be honest, when it comes to actually going somewhere.
“If one of us were to go to Baton Rouge alone, there would probably be someone there asking for something: a photo, an autograph, whatever.
‘It’s nice to be able to have that conversation. She gets it. I wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it. It irritates me.
Dunne is pictured on the red carpet at the launch of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Dunne, who specializes in uneven bars, received All-American honors during her freshman year
She also averaged a season-high score of 9.850 at the SEC Championships last year
‘I have no control over it. She really doesn’t either. I’m sure it will get better as I move up, but that’s something I want for her.”
Last week, the couple was photographed together for the first time at LSU’s college football game Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
She’s raising millions of dollars, becoming more and more famous on social media, advancing in her gymnastics career – and now Dunne has the baseball star boyfriend on the side.
What more can she ask for on her 21st birthday?